


Soldier Boy

by Brothaigh



Series: The Little Soldier Boy [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: his son comes home, iroh’s son comes home, little soldier boy, non-canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-21 17:28:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20697296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brothaigh/pseuds/Brothaigh
Summary: In which Lu Ten is the little soldier boy who comes home.





	Soldier Boy

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work, and if you have any suggestions I’d love to hear ‘em.

The sun was high and Iroh’s gaze followed the beams across the watery horizon. He was aboard Prince Zuko’s ship.

_Or is it just Zuko, now?_

He kept replaying it in his mind - his brother had so carelessly turned away his son, had cast him out and stripped him of honor while leaving him permanently marred. Iroh knew he had been jaded to begin, but just how jaded showed through with this incident.

_—_

_The day had started with messengers arriving from Ba Sing Se. Their grave features foretold the news they brought - it had been a slaughter. Hundreds dead and Iroh's son, Lu Ten, had been among them. Iroh had spent the greater part of the day with grief driving him through war meetings. The final meeting of the day, a discussion on how _exactly _the Fire Nation would handle Ba Sing Se's opposition ended in the declaration of an Agni Kai between Ozai and his son, Prince Zuko, only 10 years younger than Lu Ten._

_Iroh had been present at the Agni Kai, the ceremonial stripping of Zuko's honor, status, and ties to the Fire Nation throne. Having had his rights to the throne stripped only hours before, anger and sympathy welled in his chest until maintaining his composure became impossible._

_“He’s your son!” Iroh shouted as he slammed his hands into the table of the family's drawing-room, “You should know that he deserves a chance to be a boy, to share his ideas. He wasn’t _wrong _either.”_

_Ozai locked eyes with his brother and a smug sneer slowly took his features as he leaned into Iroh's quaking form. His brother had become so soft compared to the general he had been years before, in their youth._

_”I suppose you would know something about that, but then, you don’t have a son,” Ozai couldn’t contain the confident, disrespectful grin that overtook his sneer, “You couldn’t even keep him alive.”_

—

It had been a low blow to Iroh and he settled his breathing slowly. The thought of his brother’s insensitivity left him seething. Lu Ten had been killed only a few short days before the message had reached the Fire Nation capital and with the capital, Iroh. The aging man closed his eyes and steam seemed to leave his nostrils. A calm overtook Iroh before he returned into the belly of the Fire Nation's ship. As he settled into his bunk, Iroh's imagination wandered and the memories of his son as a child overtook his mind. The laughter, their games, how fragile - yet strong - Lu Ten had been as a boy and, evidently, as a man. Before he could realize, tears had begun streaming down his cheeks and Iroh forced the memories from a lifetime ago back into far recesses of his mind. It had been an hour, perhaps, but the ship's dinner bell had begun ringing and Iroh composed himself to bring Zuko hope once more. He found his way to the captain's quarters, in this ship at the top, overlooking the water.

An uneventful dinner was soon interrupted with rougher seas and the sound of an engine belonging to another ship. Rough seas did not bother Iroh (Zuko was soon made queasy) but the sound of an engine made Iroh's attention drift away from the meal to a second Fire Nation ship approaching. No Fire Nation ship could be trusted, but the insignia didn’t follow Ozai’s recent restrictions. The ship appeared to be a few years old, but not so old as to render it useless.

_But then, Fire Nation ships were rarely rendered useless._

Iroh watched as the ship approached, but weariness and worry over Zuko’s safety kept him alert. _He couldn't lose another son_.

"Stay here," Iroh finally warned when the approaching ship met their own and docked. Ropes and ladders were more quickly deployed than Iroh would have expected of a true Fire Nation troop. Most would deploy a dingy of soldiers to render any enemies ineffective, then approach with their ship to take the controls. Iroh left the captain's quarters and approached the deck. By the time he arrived, the man who seemed to be these _pirates'_ captain had set foot on the ship. The guards on Zuko's ship had been subdued by this new captain's crew - apparently powerful benders, though not all fire benders. Iroh regarded the captain with caution, the man wore a tattered general's uniform and carried himself with the importance of a great leader, but approached with as jolly a smile as he could muster.

"Welcome!" Iroh greeted, arms outstretched and a smile overpowering the fear that might have otherwise filled his expression, "Fellow men of the Fire Nation are always welcome aboard Lee's ship. No need for hostility." He ended the greeting with a gesture at the subdued guards.

"We are not allies of the Fire Nation," the captain stated, authority echoed, especially with the general's helmet, "And you don't appear to be Fire Nation allies, either. You claim this is _Lee's_ ship, yet I don't know a _Lee_ among the Fire Nation navy. If I remember, _Lee_ is the disgraced Prince Zuko's alias."

A nervous laugh gave the truth to the pirate captain and Iroh lowered his arms.

"Yes, I suppose we have lost our ties with the Fire Nation," he admitted, a sheepish smile and blush crept onto his face, "But who do we have the pleasure of sharing a cup of tea with this evening?" Offered hospitality had rarely left Iroh in a bad position, an offer of tea would certainly be effective, he assumed.

"We are the face of the Fire Nation's Rebellion and I, Lu Ten, am the leader of this front," the captain stated, a grave tone took his voice, "The men who killed my soldiers, and nearly me, were not Earth Kingdom soldiers. They were men we had regarded as brothers. I am not enough alone to bring justice for my men, but the rebellion is. Who are you?" He lifted the helmet from his head and cleared his throat as he looked to Iroh. Familiarity may have taken his expression if not for fear of losing his composure.

Iroh’s expression was skeptical, but as the pirate captain spoke and removed his helmet, there was no mistaking the voice, the face, the jawline, and the overgrown sideburns. His throat welled with tears and his breath became short. He rolled the name in his mind, over and over.

_Lu Ten._

** _Lu Ten._ **

_Lu Ten._

He breathed once, then twice. He betrayed himself when a sob worked its way out of his mouth. This was something only his dreams had brought. His _son_. Tears boiled over and streamed down his cheeks, into his beard. His arms opened once again as a gesture of compassion.

"I am Iroh, once the Dragon of the West," he choked out, voice wavering with his sobs, "_Father_ to Lu Ten."


End file.
